Loading device for automatic photograph-machines.



No. 794,639. I PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

v G. N. PIPER. LOADING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC PHOTOGRAPH MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1004.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1 PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

7 G. N. PIPER.

' LOADING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC PHOTOGRAPH MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN, 14, 19,04.

2 BHBETSSHEET Z.

UNITED STATES I Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE N. PIFER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN AUTOMATICPHOTOGRAPH COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO. A COR- PORATION OF OHIO.

LOADING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC PHOTOGRAPH-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,639, dated July 11,1905. Application filed January 14:, 1904- Serial No. 189,084.

T at whom it may concern,-

Be it known that I, GEORGE N. PIFER, a citizen of the United States,residing in Cleveland, Ohio, have invented certain Improvements inLoading Devices for Automatic Photograph-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention consists of certain improvements in the means for loadingautomatic 1o photographic apparatus shown and described in my Patent No.708,164, dated September 2, 1902, the objects of my present inventionbeing to simplify and cheapen the construction of the plate-holder andof the re- I 5 movable closure whereby the plates are normally retainedtherein, and to increase the capacity of the holder, so as to providefor a much greater number of exposures than be fore, without thenecessity of recharging the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view illustratingmy improved plate-holder and those parts of an automaticphotographmachine in connection with which said plate -holder isintended to be used, the parts being shown in the position occupied bythem when the holder is first introduced into the machine and before theremoval of the temporary closures, whereby 0 the plates arenormallyretained in the holder.

Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the temporary closures removed and theplates in position for being fed into the machine. Fig. 3 is atransverse section on the line a a, Fig.2. 3 5 Fig. 4 is a plan view ofthe device shownin Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating asingle plate-holder constructed in accordance with my invention; andFig. 6 is a sectional view of the lower portion of a plateholder,illustrating a modified form of removable closure therefor.

In the drawings, 1 represents part of thefrom a holder revolubly mountedupon the structure 1. This holder consists in the present instance of acylindrical block 3, having therein four vertical cylindrical bores 4,each permanently closed at the top, said block being composed of paper,wood, or other material which will combine the qualities of lightnessand cheapness. The block 3 is preferably formed with a central openingin the bottom for the reception of the upper end of a short verticalshaft or spindle 5, which has a bearing upon the structure 1 of themachine and is provided below the same with a ratchet-wheel 6, withwhich is adapted to engage a pawl 7, pivotally mounted upon the slidingpusher 2, so that as the latter is reciprocated intermittent movementsof partial rotation will be imparted to the ratchet-wheel 6, and henceto the block 3. Each of the bores 4 in said block carries a column ofsensitive plates 8, which are in the first instance fed face downwardinto said bores while the block 3 is held in an inverted position, aball or other weight 9 being first inserted in one of the bores for apurpose described hereinafter. 4 in the inverted holder has been filledalmost to the top with the sensitive plates 8, each bore is closed bymeans of a concavoconvex disk 10, of rubber or other flexible material,which fits snugly against the walls of the bore and by reason of itsfrictional hold upon said walls not only retains its position in thebore against the pressure exerted upon it by the column of plateswhenthe holder has been turned right side up, but it also serves to sealthe bore against the entrance of light. The concave-convex disk 10 hassecured to it a looped cord or wire 11, which When each of the boreswhen the disk has been properly applied to the bore of the tube projectsbeyond said disk, as shown in Fig. 1.

In applying the plate-holder to the machine the central opening in thebottom of the same is fitted upon the projecting upper end of the shaftor spindle 5, which may, if desired, be square or otherwise shaped,'soas to fit a correspondingly-shaped opening in plate-holder 3 providedwith a temporary the holder, and thus insure rotation of the latter whenthe shaft or spindle is rotated. l

When thus adjusted, one of the bores of the plate-holder is verticallyin line with an opening 12 in the lower portion of the structure 1,which openin is of lesser diameter than the diameter of the plate-holderbore or of the sensitized plates contained therein. The temporaryclosure 10 of said bore of the plate holder can therefore be readily removed by means of a suitable implement engaging the looped cord or wire1 1 of each closure, a downward pull upon said loop drawing downward thecenter portion of the flexible disk 10, so as to first reverse thedirection of its concavity and then withdraw the disk through theopening 12, the lowermost plate of the column of plates in the boredropping onto the support a'llorded by the structure 1., and bypartially rotating the block 8 another of its columns of plates can bebrought into line with the opening 12, the closure 10 removed, and so onuntil all of said closures have been withdrawn. As the first of the freecolumns of plates comes over the opening 13 in the pusher-slide 2 itdrops into said opening, so as to be ejected when the pusherslide isprojected. As the pusher-slide 2 is reciprocated so as to eject theplate movement to the extent of a quarter-turn is imparted to theratchet-wheel 6 and plateholder 3, so as to bring another column ofplates into position to feed its lowermost plate into the opening 13 ofthe pusher-slkle when the latter is retracted, and this operation isrepeated on each reciprocation of said pushel slide until all of theplates in all of the bores of the holder are discharged, the finalaction being to permit the ball or weight 9 to drop through the opening13 and through an opening 14 in the structure 1 for the purpose oftripping the cut-0H device of the machine.

My invention is, as will be evident, applicable to plate-holders havinga single bore equally as well as to plate-holders having a plurality ofbores, and in Fig. 5 I have illustrated suchsingle plate-holder 3, whichinstead of being supported upon a revoluble shaft has a shoulder 15resting upon a tube 16, which is supported upon a portion of the fixedstructure of the machine and extends down to or supports the structure1, in which the pusher-slide is guided. Either the support of theplate-holder upon the shaft 5, as in Figs. 1 and 2, or the support ofthe single holder by means of its shoulder 15 upon the tube 16 relievesthe pusher-slide from the weight of the holder, and thereby lessens thefriction upon said slide which would interfere with its freereciprocation.

In carrying out my invention also other forms of externally-accessibleclosure for the plate-holder may be employed. For instance, in Fig. 6 Ihave shown the open end of the closure consisting of a flat disk 17,secured to the lower end of the holder by means of a strip or sheet 18of thin paper, so that after the holder has been properly inserted intothe receiving-tube 16 of the machine the closure 17 can be readilyremoved either by the action of the pusher-slide 2 or by a similardevice which will tear or sever the thin paperretainer, whereby the diskis normally held in place and will thus permit said disk to be thrusttransversely away from the lower end of the tube, so as to permit of thedescent of the plates in the holder and their delivery from the open endof the same.

By providing a holder for the plates with a temporary and removableclosure accessible from the outside of the holder the necessity ofproviding the holder with a movable cap or other movable member at itsupper end, as in my previous patent, No. 708,164, is renderedunnecessary and the construction of the holder is simplified andcheapened, since the same can be made of wood or paper in one pieceinstead of being constructed of metal in more than one piece. Hence theholder when empty can be discarded instead of being returned forrefilling. Furthermore, the operation of the holder is not interferedwith by the rusting in place of a metallic cap. Hence the improvedholder is more certain in its action than the patented holder, and thetemporary closure now employed is also materially simplified andcheapened as compared with a closure of the character shown anddescribed in said patent.

By providing the machine with a plateholder carrying a plurality ofcolumns of plates the capacity of the same is correspondingly increased,thereby resulting in a desirable increase in the number of exposurespermitted between successive chargings of the machine.

Any desired form. of movable carrier for conveying the plate from theplate-holder to the point of discharge may be used, the reciprocatingpusher being simply one form of device available for the purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. Means forloading a photograpllic appa ratus,comprising a receptacle for carrying a column of photographic plates anda re movable closure at one end of said receptacle, said closure havinga portion accessible from the outside of the receptacle, whereby it canbe removed by external means, substantially as specified.

2. Means for loading a photographic apparatus, comprising a receptaclefor carrying a column of photographic plates, said receptacle beingpermanently closed at one end and having a removable closure at theopposite end, which closure has a portion accessible from the outside ofthe receptacle, whereby it can be removed therefromby external means,substantially as specified.

3. Means for loading a photographic apparatus, comprising a receptaclefor containing a column ofphotographic plates and a removable closureforone end of said receptacle, said closure comprising a disk of flexiblematerial, having a downwardly-extended portion whereby it can be engagedby externally-operating means to effect removal of 1siaid temporaryclosure, substantially as speci- 4. Means for loading a photographicapparatus, comprising a receptacle for carrying a column of photographicplates and a disk of flexible material serving as a tem orary closure atone end of said receptac e, said disk having a looped cord or wireengaging the same and extending downwardly from said disk, substantiallyas specified.

5. Means for loading a photographic apparatus, comprising, incombination, a receptacle carrying a plurality of columns ofphotographic plates, a movable pusher, and means for mounting saidreceptacle so that it is movable in respect to said pusher, whereby thecolumns of plates may be brought successively into position to feed thepusher, substantially as specified.

6. Means for loading a photographic apparatus, comprising, incombination, a receptacle carrying a plurality of columns ofphotographic plates, a movable pusher, and means for revolubly mountingsaid receptacle, whereby its columns of plates may be broughtsuccessively into position to feed the pusher, substantially asspecified.

7. Means for loading a photographic apparatus, comprising, incombination, a receptacle carrying a plurality of columns ofphotographic plates, a movable pusher, means for mounting the receptacleso that it can rotate, and means whereby the intermittent movement ofthe pusher is caused to impart intermittent movements of partialrotation to 316 plate-receptacle, substantially as speci- In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE N. PIFER.

Witnesses:

JAMEs MGMORRIs, Jos. H. KLEIN.

